She Glows
by myao3stories
Summary: Just a small journal entry of a pre-Signless' death Dualrosa.
1. How she glows!

Today I wwrite about a most perplexing event that has occurred to myself these past feww wweeks. WWhile at dock for repairs from my latest battle with the accursed Marquise, I stumbled into a lowwblood tavvern in order to drink my sorrowws awway.

It wwas there I sat in the corner by myself, as I so often do, when a sortie of trolls entered. I knoww this sounds like the start of a terrible joke, but a mustardblood, an olivveblood, what originally looked like a rustblood, and a jadeblood wwalk into a bar…

The twwo men begin to get smashed on wwhatever swwill the lowwblood running this place calls beer. WWhat perplexes me the most are the twwo wwomen. An olivveblood wearing clothing not shredded and wwith polite, civvil manners? A jadeblood not in the cavverns and no virgin mother grub as an excuse?

Naturally those twwo dreww my attention to the twwo vvery drunk men… the mustardblood looked to be a vvery powwerful psionic if he had a mutation. WWhy was he a freetroll? And the nubby horned one in particular was… off.

His eyes were too bright of red to be rust.

A vvague memory of the Empress's court and some lowwblood not on the hemospectrum running about causing secular troubles wwherever he could. Rumored to travvel with a group of unlikely lowwbloods, well…

Not that hard to put the pieces together.

I thusly had these trolls dead to right. Despite my casual wwear, I had my rifle still. I'm impressed at their brazen attitude, frankly. I, a sea dwweller, sitting in the corner as they make asses of themselvves. I briefly think of the prestige I might get from bringing in the most wwanted group of individuals this side of the empire.

Hell. The Empress might remember my name if I do. That'd be a start on my evverlasting and foolish endeavvor to get her as some quadrant.

But I digress. Before I could really decide one wway or the other, the mutant was dragged awway by his domesticated olivve and mustardblood friend. This left the elegant and refine jadeblood to sit at the bar alone.

She was rather striking for a lowwblood. Evven the Marquise wwould be jealous of her beauty. I contemplated striding on ovver to speak with her… arrest or wwooing, I wwondered to myself…

Once more my indecisiveness has cost me something. Some dirtblood movved on ovver to her and attempted to put his hand on her.

Attempted.

I didn't quite see it, but it seemed as though she glowwed for the briefest of seconds as his head slammed into the bar. She paid him no mind after that and simply ordered another drink. The other lowwblood slunk away and I looked to my own food and drink, noww both dreadfully ruined by the temperature (fortuitous that I did not eat this muck to begin with!) and thus I needed more.

I movved to the bar and sat dowwn at it, ignoring the jade entirely. I'd rather not gain another scar from her disinterest. I sense her unease as a sea dwweller of my stature remains next to her. Yes, jade, you and I both knoww howw many lawws you are breaking. WWill I turn you in, you wwonder? Or wwill I demand something to keep me silent?

Neither, my dear, I am a gentleman first and an Orphaner second. I strike up casual convversation wwith her first. Remarks about her sortie and she replies they are a travveling troupe, she demonstrates her ability of being one of those accursed rainboww drinkers. That explains the gloww, but this doesn't frighten me.

It only entices me further.

I make a feww bumbling statements and she dominates the convversation. She no longer showws disinterest, she's enjoying watching me make a fool of myself. I cannot help but be drawn to her skin, flawwless and obviously incandescent…

The subtle ways her dress movves against her skin, hinting at a mystery yet unsolvved. She notices my scars and tells me she has a feww of her owwn, but she says it wwith a smirk as though to say they are in rather private areas that the public may nevver see. Her wwonderful lips curvve into a smirk as I am rather dumbstruck.

She stands up and pats my back, telling me to pay for her drinks and that she'll return tomorroww for another round. Evven as her rainboww drinker gloww fades, the romantic in me wwould argue she still does.

A wweek passes wwith the same routine as wwe get to knoww each other. I've missed a court appointment as wwell as a meeting with the Marquise. My ships are all repaired and yet I remain here wwith her.

I havve tried to invvite her back to my ship for a more privvate meeting. Finer wwine, better food and the like… she alwwways refused me until tonight.

So here I wwrite my thoughts as I awwait her arrivval to my ship. WWether or not she and I enter a flushed relationship as I so hope we do (despite her loww birth, her elegance and charm put the empress's mongrel wways to shame!), I wwill be content wwith havving been so close to her.

Ah, a knock at my door. I wwill wwrite my thoughts dowwn as they come in the morning. For noww, I must see howw much she glowws in the privacy of my cabin.


	2. Still she glows!

It has been about a swweep or so since the Dolorosa (Sorroww? WWhy the Imperial Conquistadors wwould choose that name is beyond me.) and I havve been frequently meeting as wwe can wwhen I'm in port and she's nearby. Beside from that, wwe wwere in heavvy communication wwith one another wwhich has caused me to not evven wwrite in this journal for some time since our first meeting aboard my ship.

WWhich I should hope that I don't havve to explain to my future self (Or descendant if he should find this journal.) as to wwhy I wwon't disclose such evvents onto a wwritten wword.

Regardless, some… evvents havve occurred since then that havve also taken my attention awway from this frivvolous thing. Some mutantblood has been preaching about equality and the like. Though he and his message is peaceful, others in the farther reaches of our glorious empire havve taken to rise up and fight against their oppressors.

The fair maiden expresses concern for the mutantblood wwhen she and I discuss it and I think I understand it; after all she wwas a matron in the birthing chambers as wwell as a servvitor in her tour of duty in the Conquests. It's only natural for her to havve concern for the life of another, no matter howw… dangerous. In all honesty - and if this is heresy or treason, so be it - I don't frankly care about all that mess.

My job is not to care about wwars any longer. I am the Orphaner, not an admiral.

I havve a sacred duty to perform to feed the Rift's Carbuncle and I cannot be bogged dowwn by politics too often. WWhenevver I mention that to the Dolorosa, she vvisibly relaxes a bit. She thinks I don't notice that, but I didn't become the Royal Orphaner because I can't read troll body language.

Movving on from such dreary talk to something… perhaps a bit more disconcerting. Mindfang is noww vvery wwell awware of my relationship wwith the Dolorosa and in all honesty, I fear for both of their livves. Mindfang's sole focus is on me, she has no matesprit nor moirail that I am awware of (WWe shall nevver talk about her ashen "courtings" after that last incident.) wwhereas mine is noww healthily divvided.

I trust Mindfang enough not to do something stupid for quite some time, howwevver. She saww this matespritship as a form of a caliginous solicitation and… wwell, that ended somewwhat wwell. Unfortunately, I had such a moment of wweakness and didn't nip it at the bud and explain to her wwhat the Dolorosa and I havve.

Then again, wwhy am I wworrying?

The Dolorosa is a rainboww drinker and more than capable of defending herself. I'm quite certain she's got a good grasp of her mind to avvoid Mindfang's mutant ability (Something I'm surprised she wwas nevver culled for, but wwhat can one do?) to control others' actions and minds wwith her owwn.

Ah, speaking of my lady, she is stirring on my daybed.

I shall hopefully find the time to wwrite more, hopefully not just about my romances and about something exciting.


End file.
